Smile Finale -Remix-
by Midoriri
Summary: An alternate take on Smile Pretty Cure's finale... -completed-
1. Chapter 1

_"I love all fairy tale characters. Even the villains."_

* * *

There were no words horrible enough to describe the horror, the hopelessness, the despair, of the situation.

What had once been a large city was a barren landscape, all rock and cracks and darkness. The sky was filled with large, angry red and black clouds. No people were in sight, none at all. The only signs of life were the five brightly dressed girls kneeling on the ground; a tiny fairy resembling a fox and lion behind them; and in the pink one's arms, an even tinier white fairy who was only just regaining consciousness.

And before them all was the only other sign of life: a giant monstrosity that resembled a harlequin gone horribly wrong.

The pink girl, Happy, glanced away from him for an instant, just enough to look at the smeared ink stain on the ground. What had happened immediately prior to this thing's revival had been nothing short of horrifying. Sure, she hadn't liked Joker, but she wouldn't wish his fate on anyone.

The next part was a big blur to them all; they were too stunned by this horrible turn of events, such despairing things so rapidly after another, three battles in a row with no rest, the despair in the air that was practically choking them...  
They registered the thing-Emperor Pierrot-before the, declaring that this would be the Worst Ending, that there was nothing but despair. They felt the air around them grow thicker, constricting their throats and nearly stopping their hearts. Their limbs shook as they tried to snap out of it, to move, to do something-

And then the emperor laughed. And his voice dropped to a whisper, a low, chilling one that sounded as if it were right in their ears instead of far away. "Everyone will despair. Everyone will experience the Worst Ending.  
Just like me."

Before even this could register in Happy's mind-oh, she'd heard it, though, she had definitely heard it-there was another voice to be heard. Or rather, another three.

"Pretty Cure, oni!"

It was as if a spell had suddenly been lifted from them. The girls and their two fairies suddenly jerked, almost like they'd been shocked. Happy was the first to look to the source of the voice.

Behind her.

There was a large, open book, pages rapidly turning before stopping in the middle. The voices continued, echoing slightly.

"Pretty Cure, hurry, get in, oni!"  
"Hurry before something happens to you, dawasa!"  
"Pretty Cure, we can't keep the book open for much longer, rufu! Hurry up and..."

"GET IN!"

Panic seized the group, and before they knew it, they were on their feet and moving to the book. Happy held a hand out, faintly surprised to see a trio of tiny paws emerge from the pages, as if they were water. They grabbed her hand-

-and she fell inside, quickly followed by the others.

After Pop fell in as well, the book slammed shut, vanishing in a quick burst of dark energy. Pierrot was left alone.

"...victory snatched away from me.  
Another Bad End for me."

* * *

The group found themselves walking down a long, dark corridor. By now the fear and despair of the moment had left them, and they were just...numb. And shaken. Happy tightened her grip on Candy as the young fairy sniffled against her chest. She directed her gaze to the large lantern light directly in front of her...and on the floor. The light revealed three little fairies-the fairies that had remained when she'd accepted the Bad End Generals. The ones Pop had claimed not to have ever seen before.

"Is it safe here?" Peace finally asked. "Will we really be alright?"

"Don't worry, dawasa," one of the tiny fairies said. Though her voice was small and rather high-pitched, it held an undercurrent of strength, confidence. Even as childish as her voice sounded, anyone who heard her would believe what she said. "We're perfectly safe here...No one knows about this place but us, dawasa."

"No one ever found us here, oni!" the pink fairy said, a little proudly.

The blue, canine fairy turned to one side, the just-as-big-as-him lantern in his arms shifting for a moment before he regained his balance. He went further into the darkness, hopping onto a stepping stool that was illuminated as he drew closer. From there, he set the lantern on a table, pressed it into a tiny opening in the wall. And then the room was suddenly lit up by dozens of lanterns sitting in similar spaces halfway up the walls. The light was a bit dim, but it wasn't scary. It felt reassuring. Comforting. Brought to mind days by small fireplaces, conversing with friends in the light while there was soft darkness all around oneself.

But it was hard to feel comforted when something horrible, the most devastating and despairing thing in the world, was happening to their home.

"We...You aren't going to just invite us here to stay, are you?" March blurted out suddenly, voicing what everyone else was thinking. It was the only explanation they could think of, anyway. She clenched her fists, her eyes growing moist as she continued, voice strained. "Y-You...You just brought us here, out of the blue! If you're going to tell us to just hide in here for the rest of our lives while our families and friends are hurting out there-"

"C-Calm down, oni!" the pink fairy interrupted, bringing his tiny paws before him as he stepped back. "No one's thinking of doing that at all, oni!"

"Then...then why...?" Beauty asked, a hand going to her mouth as her eyes watered. "Why would you take us here? We are needed at home, we have to-"

"Know the enemy first."

Pretty Cure, Pop, and Candy startled, staring in surprise at the three fairies. The green-cloaked one, the one who had spoken,  
was standing before a small bookcase with a few thin books on it. She replaced the larger book she'd carried in, the one that had pulled them all into this place, and then pulled out another one. Turning around, she walked towards the group, showing off the book's cover.

It was dark in color, a purple so dark it almost looked black, with an image of a large, full moon on the cover. "We didn't bring you here so you could hide away and be safe, dawasa. We brought you here because we can't tell you our story, or how to save our emperor, out there. it's much safer to explain while taking shelter, dawasa."

"Your emperor?" Pop echoed, frowning. Then his brows shot up, his eyes widened as he pointed to the fairies. "A-Ah! You're from the Bad End Kingdom!" He took half a step back, an arm held in front of Candy protectively.

Happy's eyes widened a fraction. That was it! That was why the voices that called out to them had seemed so familiar! And their forms...a little ogre, little witch, little wolf! So the generals didn't disappear after all, they had been fairies the whole time! And from Bad End Kingdom? But they didn't seem to want to hurt them, so...

"But what's going on?" asked Sunny. "You're going to tell us how to defeat Pierrot?"

The three fairies shook their heads, the green one frowning in slight annoyance. "No, I said we're going to tell you how to help him, dawasa."

The three of them huddled together as they worked together to set the book down, motioning for the others to gather around.

The book opened to pure-white pages...until images began to appear on them. "Sit down, and listen, dawasa. We'll explain_ everything."_


	2. Chapter 2

"Since the beginning, there were two lands of fairy tales...Marchenland and the Bad End Kingdom. Marchenland, as you know, is where all fairy tales come from, where heroes of stories live and recreate their tales. But our home, Bad End, was where the villains lived: wicked princes, selfish princesses, cunning and sly dwarves...anyone who didn't achieve a happy ending could live there, dawasa."

"And it wasn't always such a terrible place, oni!" Oni-nin interrupted Majo-rin's story, ignoring the irritated look she sent him. He stood tall as his tiny form could manage, waved his arms and stomped his foot once. "None of us were bad from the beginning, oni! We were just acting the role given to us! Emperor Pierrot kept the kingdom nice and it was a safe haven for all fairy tale bad guys!"

"A...nice place?" Peace echoed. The group looked at each other, confusion evident on their faces. What they had seen was certainly not nice.

"Yeah." Wolf-runrun nodded, a wistful look in his large eyes. "It was always night-time, sure, but it was pretty, rufu. The moon and the stars were bright enough, and the lanterns were always well-lit, and even though we were supposed to be bad guys, we were all happy."

"Even villains need a place, dawasa," Majo-rin agreed. "And even though we were known as the Bad End Kingdom, no one there was truly bad, dawasa." She turned her gaze to Happy. "Cure Happy, you read fairy tales all the time, even before becoming a Pretty Cure. Do you remember all of them ending happily?"

Happy was taken aback somewhat, both by the fact the little fairy had suddenly addressed her directly, and by her question. She thought for a moment, looking down at the book. It was open to a picture of the kingdom, a dark sky full of stars and a beautiful moon, lanterns lighting the streets as fairies roamed freely...It certainly looked like it had been nice, and peaceful. She shook her head, forced herself to ponder the question again. Now that Majo-rin had mentioned it... "No.

"No, not all the stories ended happily." She looked sad for a moment, remembering how shocked she'd been when she'd first read some of them. "Some of them ended...well, the villain didn't always win, but sometimes the heroes lost. Or died. A man was taken over by his shadow, the toy soldier and his ballerina died, sometimes fairies managed to trick humans and get away with misdeeds."

The three fairies nodded. "That was why our land existed, rufu."

"I think I understand," Beauty spoke up suddenly, a hand over her chin. "Your kingdom was meant for the villains and represented the bad endings of stories, while Marchenland was just the opposite. Both places and rulers needed to exist at once, and peacefully, in order to keep a balance. One cannot exist without the other." She looked from Candy and Pop, who looked surprised, to the other fairies. "Am I correct?"

Oni-nin nodded enthusiastically, looking quite pleased with her. "Exactly, oni!"

Majo-rin continued her tale.

"Without a good ending, a bad ending doesn't have the same emotional punch. Without a bad ending, a good ending doesn't bring the same joy, dawasa. Both our rulers knew this, and they understood; they ruled over their respective lands with fairness and peace was kept between us.

But not everyone appreciated us, our kingdom, or our emperor's hard work, dawasa. Humans began to hate the bad endings, hate the villains. And when Emperor Pierrot found out..."

* * *

_'No one appreciates us, no one understands how important our job really is.'_ Pierrot stood motionless in the midst of what remained of Earth, lost in the memory. He was about to have everything he wanted...

So why was he still not happy?

* * *

'I and my endings are just as great and needed as Royale Queen's, and the good endings,' he said. 'So why? Why are we hated so much for doing our jobs?' He never stopped thinking about that, dawasa."

Wolf-runrun continued from that point. "We tried to talk with him, rufu. We're the three most important bad guys in the kingdom-our archetype shows up the most often, so of course we're higher-ranked. We were sure that would mean he'd listen to us, rufu." His expression grew downcast, and he sighed faintly, looking back at the book, at the image of their emperor slowly losing his mind. "But he didn't, rufu."

"He never stopped thinking of it, and eventually he himself was lost to despair, oni," Oni-nin added sadly. "He became sick, and miserable, and because of this, our kingdom grew sick and miserable as well. It became what you saw back on Earth, and everyone at home was twisted until they didn't look like themselves anymore, oni! We thought the only reason we were spared was because of how much stronger we were compared to the others."

"That's not all, rufu." The pages turned again, and Happy had to hold back a gasp. Joker's likeness was in the book, rendered in shadowy watercolors, half of him normal while the other half was melted, thick ink. "At the time this was happening, our emperor was creating a new fairy, a new fairy tale bad guy. But he began to lose his mind midway through the process, and he became warped, twisted, and largely unfinished as a result, rufu." Wolf-runrun looked back at Happy. Everyone's eyes were on her as he said the next part. "He was never truly finished; he was only an idea, an unfinished work, rufu. And because of Emperor Pierrot's mindset at the time, a great deal of that was transferred to him, too, rufu."

This was all starting to make a strange amount of sense. And a very sad, tragic sense, too.

A kingdom for the unloved, the villains. A kingdom that needed to exist in order to help Marchenland, the very land they were trying to save, thrive, and needed Marchenland in turn for the same purpose. A great king who went mad from despair of being hated, a being that never had the chance to be normal like his fellows...

"In order to truly save Marchenland..." Sunny began, comprehension dawning on her face.

"We must save Bad End Kingdom," March continued.

"And to do that..." Peace.

"We have to save Emperor Pierrot," Beauty concluded.

The fairies nodded as one.

"Wait a minute, de gozaru!" Pop cried indignantly. "If that's true...if that's true, why haven't we heard of this before? If it's true, why did you try to bring both Earth and Marchenland to a Bad End?"

Majo-rin looked down, sheepish and guilty. "Our bodies weren't twisted too terribly," she confessed. "But our minds were, dawasa."

"We thought if we brought more bad endings to the human world, then they would appreciate them more, oni. Then our emperor would have his mind back again, he'd be himself, and things could go back to the way they were, oni."

"But when your mind is twisted and clouded with despair and anger...you don't think things through properly, rufu." Wolf-runrun stepped forward, placed his paws over Pop's own. The Marchenland fairy twitched, but made no move to pull away. "We're truly sorry for what we did, rufu. But we only wanted to help our land, we wanted things to be right. We just weren't thinking, we weren't truly ourselves, rufu."

"You've never heard of it before because our lands are so far apart, dawasa," Majo-rin offered. "And normally the only ones between the lands who communicate are Emperor Pierrot and Royale Queen." She looked at the Cures. "We rarely leave our respective homes. Didn't you find it odd that the witch wasn't at her candy house when you visited Marchenland, dawasa? Didn't you find it odd there were many more heroes than villains when you visited? A fairy from Bad End going to Marchenland is a great rarity; a Marchenland fairy visiting us is even rarer, dawasa."

"But the point is," Oni-nin interrupted, folding his arms. "That now you know the story, oni. You mustn't destroy Emperor Pierrot, you have to help him...Like you did us, oni." He looked up and right into Happy's eyes as he said that, a small smile on his little face.

Happy was silent for a long time, just staring right into the other's eyes before shifting her gaze to the other fairies. Her neutral expression had everyone worried...But then she smiled. "You say that like I'd refuse."

The atmosphere of the room changed, lifted as the three fairies breathed a collective sigh of relief. Happy stood up, still cradling Candy in her arms. "Everyone deserves a happy end. It's like I told you, too; I love all the characters. That includes the villains."

"Eh, I thought it was kinda weird that a Bad End Kingdom existed in the first place, but now it makes a lot of sense," Sunny chimed in as she too stood, clapping a hand on Happy's shoulder.

"You were just really worried for your home and your emperor weren't you?" Peace rose to her feet, taking Happy's arm as she looked to the three Bad End fairies.

"We totally understand," March added. She stood and put one hand on her hip, giving them a thumbs-up with the other. "We'll do our best!"

"No." Beauty rose, a soft and elegant smile on her lips. "No, we will not simply do our best. We will make things right again. We will help you, and we will not fail."

Pop coughed into his paw, looking away for a moment. "You're definitely not lying, de gozaru...So yes, we'll help you. With this, all three of our worlds will be safe again."

"Count on us, kuru!" Candy called out cheerfully.

The three fairies smiled even wider at the large group as they smiled back. Tears collected in their eyes, and the male fairies tried to dash them away as Majo-rin opened the book to the final pages-blank. The book glowed and enlarged before standing up in front of the Cures, Pop, and Candy. "We believe in you, dawasa...Bring our emperor back to us."

Without hesitation, the large group leaped through the book, and it slammed shut after them.

* * *

And then they were all back home, staring down Pierrot. But now there was a different plan, a different goal.


	3. Chapter 3

"You have returned." His tone was neutral. "I would have thought you'd run away, tried to escape despair."

The Cures didn't answer. Before, they might have curled their hands into fists, glared daggers at the thing - no, the man - in front of them, shouted at him...But they couldn't do that now. Not after learning the whole story. And after hearing all of that, Happy swore that there was actually an undercurrent of pain to Pierrot's voice.

"It is as you said," Beauty said at last, breaking the silence. "Despair will always exist."

"You can't destroy despair," Sunny said quietly.

For the briefest moment, something like surprise appeared on their opponent's face. But he quickly composed himself, his constant smile widening just a fraction-

"But you can overcome it."

That smile froze.

Now that he looked closer...Every single one in the group, from the Cures to those two fairies, were looking at him with something he'd never seen before. Well, he'd seen it, but certainly not aimed at himself. it wasn't anger, it wasn't hatred, it wasn't despair, it was...

Pity. They pitied him.

"You can overcome it, Pierrot," Peace said, putting emphasis on the 'you.' She stepped forward, though not in a threatening manner, her hand reaching out slightly. Pierrot surprised even himself by taking the smallest of steps back. "Emperor Pierrot, everyone was wrong about you!"

"That's right." March stepped up to join Peace. "You and your endings, your world was just as important as Marchenland, and it still is! We're sorry no one realized it, but it'll be okay, honest. We can help you overcome your own despair, you don't have to be so miserable. After you're yourself again, you can make your kingdom alright again-"

"Be silent." His voice was as deep and loud as ever, but it quavered slightly. Somehow, they'd known. They'd found out. And he didn't like that. He hated it, he was frightened by it, he hated, hated, hated it. Hated the looks of pity they gave him, the way they acted like they knew how he was feeling...

They didn't know how he felt. He was a villain, he was the ruler of all the villains. No one was even supposed to understand him, or pity or even sympathize with him. He was a simple villain, black-and-white.

"No one can do anything. The only thing that awaits me is a bad ending-the only thing that awaits anyone is a bad ending." Though his voice was lower still, it carried through the entire area. And though the Cures were standing brave and tall, it still sent chills up their spines to hear such despair in his tone, such self-loathing and anger.

Villains got no happy endings. Villains only made things darker, they gave others misery. They sowed hatred and despair wherever they went. It was what their job was. No one understood that. They hated the villains.  
And no one understood how he needed to bring despair, they all did. And how unfair it was that everyone but his own subjects achieved happiness. If no one in his home could be happy, if he couldn't...

"I will bring you all to despair!" A Bad Energy Cannon fired at the group; the girls scooped up the fairies and scattered. But they were not afraid. "You have to despair! Everybody has to know what we have felt!" A book materialized in his hands, he quickly flipped it open and smeared his hand across it. Though he hadn't even used a tube of ink, the familiar blackness smeared across the pages.

Happy was the first to notice this, having jumped high into the air and hovering above Pierrot. '_Wait a minute...'_ Her eyes narrowed slightly. How had he...?

She didn't have time to think further, as another blast was fired at her. Pop was there in an instant, restraining himself from crying out as he took the hit, in his shield-form. In a puff of smoke, he reverted to his usual form, Happy catching him in her arms. She set him back down to be with Candy when she landed.

"Why do you even fight it? Despair is inevitable, everyone falls to it! The world is full of despair and it will always be so!"

"That isn't true at all!" March shot back, racing towards the emperor again, dodging more energy blasts and, oddly enough, splashes of Bad End paint. But where were those coming from...? March barely pondered the question before she shook it off, jumping into the air and delivering a kick to Pierrot's back. They didn't want to really hurt him, but they had to make him stop attacking himself. (And there seemed to be a tradition of Cures beating truth and reasoning into their opponents besides.)

"Despair is inevitable, but it will always be overcome!" Sunny suddenly descended from the sky, aiming a fiery punch at Pierrot. He saw her coming, lifted a massive hand to defend himself.

What he didn't realize was that it was the hand holding the book.

A bit of the fire from Sunny's fist landed on the pages, sparking on the Bad End paint. For a second, Pierrot's form looked warped, briefly flickering while something else was visible in those briefest seconds when Pierrot was not. And during those flickers, in the seconds when Pierrot was visible, he looked just as Joker had earlier.

Melting, dripping, oozing.

Happy's breath caught as she observed this. The book had been damaged, and that had happened...and what she had seen between the flickers was-

"Everyone!" she shouted, getting the group's attention. "Keep trying to get through to Emperor Pierrot! And aim your powers at that book!"

"Right!"

"It cannot be overcome!" Pierrot finally cried out, his grip tightening on the spine of the book. His other hand pressed against the pages, more ink seeping out from seemingly nowhere, staining the pages and overflowing to run over the edges and onto the ground. Even as this happened, his form seemed to be weakening, wasn't quite as tangible anymore. "Why do you think the existence of myself and my kingdom has lasted so long? Because no one can overcome despair, only prolong it!"

"That's not true!" Peace shouted as she threw a Peace Thunder at his hands. "The reason for your existence is because you are important and you matter! If it weren't for you, the queen could not exist! If it weren't for your kingdom and your Bad Ends, there could be no true joy and no Good Ends!"

"You are needed because there must be two opposite forces for there to be a proper balance!" Beauty chimed in, casting a Beauty Blizzard at Peace's own attack, the two elements merging before crashing against Pierrot and the book in a yellow and blue blast. There was that strange flickering again, Pierrot giving a faint gurgle.

'_I have to get that book away!'_ Happy thought as she too raced forward.

In the meantime, Sunny and March were combining their own attacks, holding hands tightly. "We know the truth, Emperor Pierrot! You weren't always like this-your own despair overwhelmed you, and you didn't think you could overcome it! But you can, you just have to believe! You have to not let it win!"

_'His own despair...'_

"We'll help you! So will your fairies! We'll help you see, we'll help you understand how needed and loved you really were-you really are!" March cried.

"No one can help me! No one can help anyone, not even you!" Pierrot's voice was cracking slightly, that undercurrent of fear again. His form flickered once more, and now the melting, oozing nature of his form was clear to see. He looked less like a clown now and more like a large mountain of ink shaped in the mockery of a man. The ink was oozing over the book, nearly drenching it as the Cures' attacks struck both it and him, ink splashing everywhere from the blow. "All will...all will..." His voice faded as he struggled to maintain his form. From inside that mountainous ink-man, two small, flickering lights could be seen - both dark shades of purple.

"Emperor Pierrot, you have to believe in us! Remember when you were happy, remember that happy times will always come! You are not exempt just because of your role in the story!" Happy shouted as she reached Pierrot's form, or what was left of it. She grabbed the book, shrieking as Pierrot didn't want to let go, tried to suck it inside himself. Happy was nearly dragged in slowly, the book vanishing into the mountain of ink, soon followed by her arms all the way to the elbow. But she never let go, and never stopped trying to reach Pierrot with her words. "Emperor Pierrot, the queen needs you, Marchenland needs you! But not only that, your own kingdom needs you. You have to stop this, you have to remember yourself-you have to remember everyone!"

She shrieked again as she was nearly sucked in completely, the ink covering her shoulders now...But then she was yanked back. She looked around her; the rest of the Cures were there, grabbing her arms and helping her to pull. Even Pop and Candy were helping, standing on Beauty and Peace's arms respectively and pulling Happy own. And there were also Wolf-runrun, Oni-nin, and Majo-rin, risking being swallowed by the ink to pull the book itself. "Everyone...everyone, help!"

"We won't let this world come to a Bad End...or you!"

"You're part of this world and part of fairy tales, we have to protect you, too!"

"Your fairies need you to return to them!"

"Overcome your despair, Emperor Pierrot, please!"

"We love you!"

The ink seemed to be a lot less thick at that point, moved at a faster pace, and the hold on the book loosened. Pierrot was listening, they were reaching him.

With a mighty tug, everyone pulled the book out, Beauty gasped as she fell back, a more solid blob of ink in her arms, which she held tightly to her chest. Happy stumbled back as she opened the book...and gasped faintly. Some of the pages, the ones nearer the beginning of the book, had managed to survive the ink staining it, and she could see the image. A watercolor image of a man with purple hair, a harlequin-based outfit and a crown...

"This is...your own story." Happy looked from the pages to the now-silent ink mountain that was Pierrot. "You were so overwhelmed by despair, you wrote a Bad End for yourself?"

There was silence at first. And then, a whispering was heard on the wind, in the ears of all present: "Pretty Cure...please help me. Stop me, stop this...I'm tired of this..."

Happy nodded, a mixture of compassion and determination in her eyes. "Everyone...one more Rainbow Burst!"

Rainbow Burst purified the corrupted Decors. They would purify Pierrot's book, and Pierrot himself. They would use this to set him free.

Pop and Candy held each other tightly, the three Bad End fairies watching with bated breath and Pretty Cure aimed one final attack, full of warm light, at both the book and their ruler.

"Pretty Cure...Royal Rainbow Burst!"

The ink was blown away, out of the book, the light disintegrating it into nothingness. That same light enveloped Pierrot, the ink coming away from him in waves as a sound like a sigh of thanks was heard...

* * *

"Emperor Pierrot?"

A man knelt in the middle of the street-wait. The street. It had been barren wasteland a moment ago.

And a man...hadn't he been a-?

Pierrot-the real Pierrot-lifted his head, surprised and confused eyes meeting the warm smiles of Pretty Cure. He blinked, looked at his hands. His skin was pale as death, his nails black and resembling claws more than fingernails, and he wore a dark harlequin outfit with a long cape, a black crown atop his head-he looked every bit a villain, but...

"I am...alright?"

"Pierrot." Happy spoke again, smiling softly as she knelt to his level, touched his shoulder. "Please...don't despair.

"You and your kingdom are loved. Needed, wanted. It is as I told your fairies: I love all fairy tale characters, even the villains. You have an important role to play in both the stories and your kingdom."

Pierrot's eyes shone a bit as she said this, but something else snapped him out of his stunned trance. "My fairies...?"

"Emperor Pierrot!" a trio of voices cried out. Majo-rin, Oni-nin, and Wolfrun-run leaped onto him, burying their little faces against his chest. "Our beloved emperor!"

"We've missed you so much!"

"You've returned to us!"

"Please, don't do this to us again-please!"

The shininess returned to his eyes, and to even his own surprise, his mouth quivered slightly before he gasped, shut his eyes and hugged the fairies tightly. "My dear subjects...Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt any of you...I'm so sorry."

Beauty stepped forward then, catching the four's attention. In her arms, where there was once a blob of ink, was another fairy. This one was an off-white color, its form in a vague imitation of a cat-or maybe a fox, or maybe both. It shook once in her arms, coughed heavily before it started to breathe normally. The new fairy turned its head to see the other Bad End denizens, revealing two red eyes and a mask-like mark around them. "E-Emperor...?"

Pierrot blinked again, relinquishing one arm to reach for the new fairy. "I...I remember you," he breathed. "I made you...to replace me when my own time was up. Just as Candy will eventually replace Royale Queen. I-" A hurt, despairing look crossed his face. "I hurt you too...I never finished you, I never taught you about-"

"Don't despair!" Happy interrupted. She smiled brightly. "Ultra happy! He may not have been fully finished before-but he is now! Just as he was supposed to be!"

"And you don't have to worry about him," Sunny grinned, casting a look at all five other fairies present. "You five will help Pierrot teach him...won't you?"

"That's right!" the five chorused.

After a long, tense moment, Pierrot smiled happily.


	4. Chapter 4

_and they all lived happily ever after_

* * *

"Okay, everyone ready?" Miyuki looked back at her friends, smiles on all their faces.

They nodded as one, and Miyuki turned back and began moving the books on her shelf._ Left to right...lower shelf, right to left, left again, part._ The familiar glow appeared, and the girls vanished.

* * *

"Miyuki, kuru!" Candy jumped up towards the girl. Miyuki caught her and hugged her to her chest, the both of them laughing happily. "Everyone! We missed you, kuru!"

"I missed you too, Candy!" Miyuki said, giving the fairy one quick squeeze before holding her arms out, looking Candy in the eyes. "Has everything been okay since you left?"

Yes, after the emperor had regained his normal form, he and his fairies had to return home. They had a lot of fixing to do, they had said.  
And with one land being saved, Marchenland was saved too, and Candy and Pop had returned home. But the magic was still present, and Pretty Cure still knew the code to enter the Magical Library, and travel to Marchenland whenever they wished. So although their friends had to leave for their home and to train for royal duties, they could see each other whenever they wished.

Candy nodded enthusiastically. She hopped down from Miyuki's arms and pointed towards the beautiful kingdom in the distance. "Everything is great, kuru! Look, look, come and see!"

The girls were once again in awe of Marchenland, just as they had been their last visit. But it felt a little different now. Things seemed brighter, happier. Their was a sweetness in the air, something that made them feel hopeful, like their was a light in their hearts. The fairy tale characters continued to bustle about them, acting out their stories or just playing. Many stopped to bow or curtsy before Pretty Cure, thank them for all they'd done.

The girls stopped short when they noticed one fairy. A cat-like fairy in a black and purple dress, brandishing a wand as she stood over a group of crowned fairies. "I curse you!" she squeaked, the words sounding comical when delivered in such a cute voice. "As punishment for not inviting me to your daughter's christening, I curse the princess to prick her finger on a spindle on her sixteenth birthday, and die!"

"Isn't that..." Miyuki blinked.

"The wicked fairy from Sleeping Beauty?" Yayoi finished.

The fairy blinked, turned around, briefly dropping character as she gasped at the sight of the five humans. "Ah, it's Pretty Cure!" Then, like the others, she curtsied. "Thank you for saving our kingdoms! And thank you for allowing me to participate too!"

"Participate?" Akane echoed.

But the fairy wasn't listening, as she cleared her throat and turned back to the other fairies. "As I was saying...prick her finger and die!"

"That's what I wanted to show you, kuru!" Candy chirped, rushing forward and waving her tiny arms for the girls to follow. "This way, this way!"

* * *

Candy took them to the edge of the kingdom, where Pop stood with a few other fairies. "Onii-chan, kuru!" she called out, waving again.

Pop looked up from the conversation, smiling brightly when he saw Pretty Cure. "Pretty Cure, welcome back, de gozaru!" he smiled smugly, and waved a paw behind him. "What do you think?" The girls then noticed that behind the other fairies-who they quickly recognized as the Bad End Fairies, was a large ethereal staircase. When they looked up to follow it, they saw that it ended at a large, floating island.

"Wait...is that-?" Reika breathed.

"We no longer have to wait for the full moon, de gozaru," Pop said with satisfaction. He turned to the other three fairies. "Would you three lead the way?"

* * *

"We told you it was beautiful, dawasa!" Majo-rin said as she folded her little arms over her chest. The other two had similar proud expressions, delighting in the awed way Pretty Cure stared at their kingdom.

It was nothing like it'd been last time they'd been here! The buildings were all in varying dark colors, but all the windows spilled warm yellow light throughout the darkened kingdom, so it didn't look frightening. The ground was all cobblestone roads and courtyards, a tall and old-fashioned streetlamp with a candle inside every five feet. From those lamps spilled even more warm light, so although the sky above was a dark, dusky purple, there was plenty of light to see by. The full moon and twinkling stars above only helped this, and to look at the sky was comforting rather than frightening.

But the most noted difference was all the fairies rushing about happily. The girls could recognize many villains from their favorite stories-there were more wolves, more ogres and witches, but there was also the occasional wicked queen, regally-dressed ladies that were clearly wicked step-mothers, princes, dwarfs...And all of them looked happy, paused to bow or curtsy as the Marchenland fairies had.

"Pretty Cure, thank you!" a fairy resembling a wicked step-mother said, curtsying with a Cinderella-fairy at her side. "Thank you for restoring our home, shi-shi."

"Thank you for restoring us too, nya!"

"Thank you so much, desu!"

"Alright, alright, rufu!" Wolf-runrun snapped, but not too angrily, as he shooed everyone away. "Let them by, rufu!"

"Yeah, they're supposed to meet someone today, oni!"

"Meet someone?" Nao asked as the fairies dispersed, laughing and talking quietly amongst themselves. "Who do you want us to meet?"

"Is it Emperor Pierrot?" Yayoi asked.

The three fairies shook their heads. "Nope!" Majo-rin smiled again. "Emperor Pierrot has been meeting with Royale Queen every day, dawasa. It's thanks to them, Pop, and Candy that this staircase was made."

"They didn't think it right to keep separated, rufu. So our kingdoms are connected, and all of us can see each other and truly act out the stories! And with us being right next door now, there's no reason for the Marchenland fairies to be afraid of our land anymore, rufu."

Oni-nin opened his own mouth to speak just then, but a faint, rapid footfall caught his attention. "A-Ah! The person we wanted you to meet is here, oni!"

"That person" ran towards the group, slowed to a walk, then finally stopped altogether a few feet away from the girls. Then they looked to the other three fairies, looking nervous. "Should I-"

"Go on, rufu."

Pretty Cure smiled just then, some of them getting a bit teary-eyed. Miyuki knelt down, and the fairy jumped back a step. She laughed softly, held her hand out, palm up. "Hey, don't be scared! Where's that confidence you always had before?"

The fairy stared, tense, before he slowly relaxed, stepped forward, and placed his tiny paw in Miyuki's hand. The rest of the girls knelt down too, getting a closer, better look at their former foe.

The fairy bowed his head, eyes closing and the corners of his mouth tugging upwards in a familiar smile. "Nice to meet you here, Pretty Cure." He lifted his head, those red eyes now showing a real happiness. "I am Jokaa, prince of Bad End Kingdom, ken ken."


End file.
